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It’s docking time! – Vividred Operation Episode 02

You know exactly what you’re getting into when you’re watching Vividred and the second episode is no different. A magical sentai super robot show with gratuitous loli butt shots aplenty, transformation and docking sequences, a mountain of yuri? Please take my money!

This second episode continues the line of the first. The enemy, an alien of the Alone race, threatens Blue Island. Isshiki Akane and Futaba Aoi need to save the island by equipping their Vivid suits and docking with each other! Gotta give it to the gramps, he’s one hell of an inventor. This episode is all about Aoi. It starts off pretty quickly with her transformation scene, getting her into Vivid mode. However, their first docking attempt fails due to Aoi hiding the fact that the only reason she said she likes tomatoes is to become friends with Akane.

Interesting is that the transformation scene for Aoi comes pretty early in the episode. It’s used as simply a device which segues into a flashback of Akane and Aoi’s first meeting. Understandable considering the series is set to run for 12 episodes, but part of me feels like it’s a waste of sorts. Still, the relatively quick pace of the series feels good to me and it makes me think the series will go into overdrive when it nears the end. After Aoi spills the tomatoes, we soon head into the docking sequence. Dragonball fusion style, they gattai into one being, pull out the Goldion Hammer and defeat the Big Bad.

The show does what it’s good at and, of course, if you put a dozen girls into an otaku show you can’t miss out on the yuri hinting. For half an episode they made me think the reason Aoi couldn’t go into docking mode because she was hiding that she’s actually in love with Akane. When she made her fruity confession, I couldn’t help but laugh like a maniac and feel oh so duped.

This episode also introduces the hilariously named weapons for both girls: Naked Rang, an oversized boomerang for Akane, and Naked Impact, an equally oversized hammer for Aoi. The boomerang fits Akane given the way she displayed her throwing skills in the first episode. How the hammer fits Aoi is a mystery to me, but it’s kind of funny to see the weak ojou swing around a huge device like that. We’ve also seen a bow for Black and I can only imagine a sword for Green. All weapons fairly typical for sentai or mecha. Yellow appears to be a hacker of sorts so I have no idea how that’s going to turn out. Maybe she’ll turn into more of a support role?

Another little detail I really liked: the nameless soldiers were actually useful! They were equally flabbergasted at little girls being capable of more than fighter jets. They can feel the ridiculousness of the situation and anime they’ve been thrown in. Despite all that they have to deal with what they have and actually start to coordinate with the girls to some success. I hope this theme continues in the coming episodes.

All in all another episode which makes me happy I chose Vividred to blog episodically. Gratuitous loli butt shots aside, I really like the combination of mecha and magical fighting girl series, just like I like my Nanoha. The short duration of the series ensures the plot won’t stay still. The preview tells us next week will introduce Green, miss kendo practitioner with a ponytail. I think, out of all the Winter series, I’m looking forward to Vividred the most.